


Your Distinctive Red Motif

by predilection



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Driving, Fluff, Keith & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, Kittens, M/M, Matt cameo, Meet-Cute, Motorcycles, references to
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-05-30 19:49:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19410184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/predilection/pseuds/predilection
Summary: In which Keith drives a red motorcycle and likes speeding, and Shiro is one of those drivers who absolutely refuses to go over the speed limit.





	Your Distinctive Red Motif

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written well over a year ago but it's only now being rescued from languishing in a folder of drafts.

Motorcycle Kid isn't the only driver on the road that hates Shiro's driving, but they're the only driver recognizable enough to be memorable.

It's not just that their motorcycle -- a cherry red Honda -- stands out, or that the driver seems young and wears the same distinctive red and white leather jacket every day, it's also that they love to go well over the speed limit. In fact, Motorcycle Kid is one of the fastest drivers he encounters. 

Pretty much every interaction Shiro has had with Motorcycle Kid has gone the same way. It always happens as Shiro is on his way home from work and on one particularly winding stretch of road. Shiro, who firmly believes in speed limits, sees Motorcycle Kid in his rear-view mirror, rounding the bend and coming up behind him going well over the clearly posted speed limit. 

Motorcycle Kid changes lanes the second they catch sight of Shiro's Toyota. Motorcycle Kid usually sails past Shiro, but if they're unable to make their lane change for some reason, they sometimes end up stuck behind him, impatiently revving their engine until they can go around him. 

On one memorable occasion when construction reduced this road down to one lane, Motorcycle Kid had been stuck behind Shiro for ten minutes, and had honked at him multiple times to try to force Shiro to drive faster. Shiro had refused to be intimidated, and when Motorcycle Kid finally got a chance to pass Shiro's car, they turned their head towards him as they drove by. Shiro couldn't see through the black visor of their helmet, but he would bet good money that Motorcycle Kid was glaring at him.

Shiro doesn't think much about Motorcycle Kid when he's not encountering him on his commute, until one evening when Motorcycle Kid gets stuck behind his car again. They rev their engine and Shiro half-expects them to honk right up until they round the next curve in the road. There's a large white sign declaring the speed limit as well an electronic sign posting the actual speed of the cars that go by. Beyond that are two cop cars, and five regular cars pulled over along the side of the road, their drivers receiving speeding tickets.

It's a speed trap.

The car that recently sped past Shiro gets waved over by one of the cops standing in the road, and as Shiro changes lanes to avoid this whole commotion, he praises himself for never speeding.

Motorcycle Kid is still behind him as the road curves again and Motorcycle Kid stays behind him as the speed trap disappears out of view. Oddly, Motorcycle Kid doesn't change lanes or pass him. Instead, they hang back behind Shiro's car. 

To Shiro's surprise, at the next red light, Motorcycle Kid pulls up beside him. He turns his head towards Shiro and gives him a two-fingered salute before the light changes and they speed off, leaving Shiro and his car behind.

The slower driving and salute seem out of place, and belatedly, it hits Shiro that he was being thanked for accidentally keeping Motorcycle Kid from getting a ticket.

*

Shiro sees Motorcycle Kid again the next day, but there are two things that are different this time. The first is that while Motorcycle Kid is still driving over the speed limit, there has been marked decrease in their speed. Motorcycle Kid is driving no faster than most of the other drivers on the road, and they even let some of the faster cars pass them.

The second is that when they pass Shiro's car, they give him that same two-fingered salute.

Shiro isn't sure what to make of it, but the next day, he notices the same things -- both the relatively slower speed of driving and the salute.

He doesn't think much of it, until Motorcycle Kid continues this behavior for a whole week.

By the time a whole month goes by, there have been no signs of other speed traps, and Shiro can't help but wonder why Motorcycle Kid is suddenly driving less hurriedly and why they continue to salute him.

*

The next time Shiro encounters Motorcycle Kid, it's when he least expects it. It's a Sunday afternoon and he's at his local grocery store doing his weekly shopping when he spots a familiar red and white jacket at the other end of the cereal aisle. 

He almost doesn't recognize it at first because there's an empty black backpack hanging from one of Motorcycle Kid's shoulders, blocking some of the jacket from view as Motorcycle Kid ponders name-brand and off-brand boxes of the same cereal. Any doubt Shiro might have had, though, vanishes when he spots the motorcycle gloves the person is wearing.

Motorcycle Kid is shorter than Shiro, lithe, and they have long almost-shaggy black hair that sticks up a little at the back of their neck. Shiro unconsciously takes a few steps forward towards them before he catches himself. He was right. Motorcycle Kid is likely younger than him, but surprisingly, they're not some teenager. They're not a kid at all. They look like they're younger than him by no more than a few years. They appear male, and... they're also very, _very_ attractive. The kind of attractive that has Shiro staring in a different way than he was a moment before.

Motorcycle Kid, thankfully, doesn't notice. Unware of Shiro's gaping, he selects the box of cereal he wants, and then walks away from Shiro, turning out of sight when he reaches the end of the aisle.

Shiro shakes his head to clear his thoughts and also as a reprimand. It wasn't polite or kind to stare, and what Motorcycle Kid looks like without a helmet on is none of his business. 

He focuses on grabbing the last of his groceries and he doesn't see Motorcycle Kid as he pays for them or as he steers his cart towards his car, though he can't help but notice the bright red motorcycle in the parking lot.

It's only when he's returning his cart that he runs into Motorcycle Kid again. Motorcycle Kid is preoccupied, adjusting a now full backpack presumably filled with groceries on his shoulders, when he walks right into Shiro's cart. He jumps in shock and looks up at Shiro. Then he visibly jumps a second time.

Shiro blinks at him, unsure if he's been recognized. After all, in all their prior interactions, they've had car windows and helmet visors between them. But then Motorcycle Kid's expression relaxes from alarmed into something softer and his shoulders lose some of their tension. "Oh," he says. "You're that Slow Toyota Man."

The words startle a laugh out of Shiro, and the next thing he knows, he's grinning. "That's me. You're that Motorcycle Kid."

"Yeah," Motorcycle Kid says, and he smiles a small, shy smile. "Thanks for the assist that day with the speed trap."

"You know I always drive that speed on that stretch of road, right?"

Motorcycle Kid snorts. "I'm well aware, but..." The hand he has on the strap of his backpack closes into a tight fist. "It was a good reminder that I tend to go faster than I probably should. I'm... trying to be better now."

Shiro's still smiling at him. "I noticed."

Motorcycle Kid shakes his head a little, and his tone is teasing when he adds, "I'm not going to drive as slow as you though."

"Well, we can't all be perfect drivers," Shiro replies easily.

A side of Motorcycle Kid's mouth quirks upwards at that, and he offers Shiro his customary two-fingered salute before continuing on towards his motorcycle.

Shiro sees him drive off as he's walking back to his car, and it's only as Motorcycle Kid turns off onto the main road that Shiro realizes he could've asked him for his name.

*

He sees Motorcycle Kid almost every day for the next week on his commute home, and just like before, Motorcycle Kid salutes him as he passes.

This week, for the first time, Shiro starts waving back.

This continues on for the next three weeks until one evening, he spots Motorcycle Kid's motorcycle at the side of the road, and Motorcycle Kid himself on his knees on the ground next to it.

Without thinking twice, Shiro puts on his right blinker and then his hazards as he pulls over behind him, ignoring the honks that gets him. 

He's out of his car the second it's safe to open his door, and then he's rushing towards Motorcycle Kid. In the short time since he laid eyes on him on the curb, his mind has come up with all kinds of scenarios: Motorcycle Kid being sick or hurt or needing emergency assistance. So it comes as a surprise when he finally reaches Motorcycle Kid and sees him trying to coax what looks a small black kitten out of a storm drain.

Motorcycle Kid looks up at Shiro as he approaches with wide, surprised eyes. "I saw you at the side of the road," he explains awkwardly. "I was, uh... worried."

"I'm okay," Motorcycle Kid says and he his eyes get even wider when Shiro crouches down next to him, the knees of his dress pants touching the asphalt.

The kitten is on a small ledge out of reach of bars of the storm drain, and Motorcycle Kid is waving a long piece of grass in front of the bars to try to persuade it to come within grabbing distance.

"How did you even see this kitten?" Shiro asks, honestly curious.

"It ran across the road," Motorcycle Kid says with a frown. "It almost got hit by a car. I couldn't just... leave it."

Shiro takes a look around but there's not much to look at. The land around this part of the road was cleared for a development years ago but nothing was ever built. There's a lot of dirt and gravel and definitely no sign of any parent cat.

Motorcycle Kid's grass-waving seems to be working, the kitten's eyes following it back and forth as it ambles closer to it. The second it gets in arms reach of the main opening in the storm drain, Motorcycle Kid is reaching in and pulling it out.

The kitten is about the length of Motorcycle Kid's whole hand and thankfully it doesn't look hurt. It's filthy though. Its fur is matted with dried mud on one side, but even before it squeaks out a tiny meow, it's one of the cutest things Shiro has ever seen.

"I can't keep her," Motorcycle Kid says as he examines the kitten. "One of my housemates is really allergic. I'll take her to a shelter."

"I'll take her," Shiro offers automatically. 

"What?" 

"I'll take her to a shelter," Shiro says again. "It would be easier for me with my car anyway, and I don't mind."

Motorcycle Kid stares at Shiro for a moment, and then nods. "Okay. Uh. You wouldn't by any chance have a towel, would you?"

Shiro does have a towel. It's in his gym duffel in his truck, and once he gets it out, Motorcycle Kid uses the end of it to wipe some of the mud off the kitten, and then folds the towel to make a makeshift bed in Shiro's passenger seat.

"Take her to Allura's. They're at Spruce and 7th, and they're the only no-kill shelter in the county."

"Okay. I will," Shiro promises as the small kitten sniffs at the towel and then curls up on top of it.

"I'd warn you to drive carefully but..." Motorcycle Kid waves his hand in Shiro's direction. "Well..."

Shiro smiles. "I'm Shiro," he says. 

Motorcycle Kid smiles back. "Keith."

Later, as Shiro follows his GPS to the shelter, he glances over at the kitten sleeping soundly next to him. He thinks about what he's considering until he's a block from the shelter -- until he's absolutely sure he's coming to his decision for personal reasons that have nothing to do with a certain someone who rides a red motorcycle.

He pulls into shelter's parking lot, but instead of parking, he makes a u-turn and turns back the way he came, this time aiming for a vet in his neighborhood. After all, if he's going to take this kitten home, he's going to ensure its well taken care of.

*

He wants to tell Keith that he's decided to keep her, but when their interactions return to being limited to passing each other in vehicles, it's difficult.

Over the next few weeks, without conscious thought, he ends up making a list in his head of more things he wants to talk to Keith about, like how he thinks it's great that Keith stopped to help a small animal, and personal things too, like how he had two cats growing up, and how he's wanted another one since he moved into his current apartment which actually allows him to keep pets.

He also makes a list of things he wants to ask Keith: why he chose the motorcycle he did, why he seems to know so much about animals, and maybe if he would like to join Shiro for coffee sometime.

He doesn't get a chance. He hopes he'll run into Keith at the grocery store or that they'll end up stopped at the same red light again, but more weeks pass and the closest thing to talking to Keith that Shiro experiences is waving back at him from inside his car.

*

Shiro finds himself at his friend Matt's house on a Friday night at the end of the month. Matt is throwing another party, and though they're not really Shiro's cup of tea, he shows up to give Matt moral support. He arrives an hour early under the guise of helping set up in the hopes that he'll be able to spend time with Matt before people arrive, and in the hopes that it'll make it easier for him to duck out earlier.

Matt's sister, Katie, lets him in, and he finds Matt in the kitchen, pouring a variety of potato chips into different large plastic bowls. 

"Shiro!" Matt immediately pulls him into a hug and gives him a rundown of his plans for his party and a vague list of who's coming -- mostly his classmates in his maters program and some of Katie's friends. 

When Matt asks him what's new with him, Shiro mentions the kitten.

"Where did you even find a kitten?" Matt asks, and Shiro tells Matt about Keith.

He tells him about the kid on the motorcycle with the red and white leather jacket who hated his driving. He tells him about the speed trap, about the grocery store encounter, and about how he ended up with a small black ball fur.

When he finishes, Matt's smiling at him so wide it seems disproportionate to what Shiro just told him. He looks like he just won the lottery.

"What?"

Somehow, Matt's smile grows even wider. "You totally have a crush on this guy."

Shiro swallows, and tries to temper Matt's excitement. "But what are the chances of us running into each other again?"

"Considering how many times you've managed to run into each other so far? Pretty high, I think." He goes to the fridge and grabs Shiro a soda. "Who knows? Maybe you'll see him sooner than you think."

By the time Shiro finishes his drink, the party is underway. Though Shiro gets along with the friends of Matt and Katie that he's met, and Shiro has no trouble finding company or making conversation, Matt's parties tend to be a little too crowded, loud, and overexcited for Shiro's comfort level. He excuses himself when it gets to be a little much and stands on the front porch, enjoying the fresh air and debating whether or not he wants to call it a night.

He's staring up at the stars as a red motorcycle pulls into the driveway, parking in the space between Matt's car and the lawn. Even only illuminated by street lights and the light on the porch, Shiro knows it's Keith.

Flabbergasted, Shiro watches as Keith walks towards the porch, so he's looking right at Keith when Keith spots him and freezes.

Shiro finds his voice first. "Hey."

"Hey," Keith says. He slowly climbs the front steps up to the porch, like he's hesitant -- like he's unsure why Shiro is even there. "You a friend of Matt's?" he asks.

"We went to college together," Shiro answers. He's met most of Matt's friends, but he's very sure he would remember meeting Keith. "You?"

"He's the older brother of a good friend of mine."

"Your Katie's friend?" Shiro asks.

"Yeah," Keith says, and he looks startled -- maybe as startled as Shiro feels.

Because Shiro just finished telling Matt about Keith, describing him with recognizable and obvious details and Matt had to have known both who Shiro was talking about and that Keith was coming to his party. Suddenly, Matt's absolute glee at hearing Shiro talk about Keith makes a lot more sense.

Shiro clears his throat. "Do you want to come inside?" he asks, despite not really wanting to set foot in the house again. He would though -- he'd even face Matt's teasing if meant he got to spend more time with Keith.

"Not really." Keith shifts his weight from one foot to the other, nervous. "Parties aren't really my thing."

Shiro lets out a deep breath. "They're not my thing either," he admits. "I just come to support Matt." It's then that he gets an idea. "Do you want to, maybe, go somewhere else?"

Keith takes a step towards him, a small smiling tugging at the side of his mouth. "Like where?"

Shiro thinks about it. "Well, there's a diner a few blocks from here called Coran's. Have you heard of it?"

"I passed it on my way here," Keith says. He tilts his head to one side as he keeps his eyes on Shiro's face, and it's like he's looking for something. His brows furrow. "Is this a date?"

"I..." Shiro was just thinking of escaping the party and getting a chance to connect with Keith but... "Uh. Yes, if you want it to be. If not, that's... that's okay too."

There's a beat of silence where Keith looks away, staring at something on the lawn, and Shiro is sure Keith will take the latter option, but then Keith says quietly, "Okay. I mean... I'd be okay if it was a date."

Shiro can't help it. He grins. 

He's finally going to get to talk with Keith -- he's going to be able to ask him the questions he has and tell him about the kitten. That Keith has already agreed to a date is an unexpected but wonderful bonus -- one, he knows, will have him smiling for weeks.

When Keith looks back at him, it's to that happiness being broadcasted on Shiro's face.

"Meet you there?" Shiro asks as he fishes his car keys out of his pocket and holds them up. "Well, actually, to be fair, you'll probably beat me there."

Keith smiles back at him, earnest and bright, and as he turns towards the porch steps, he gives Shiro a two-fingered salute over his shoulder. "See you soon, Slow Toyota Man."

Shiro laughs. "I look forward to it, Motorcycle Kid."


End file.
